Leisande Otto supports the World Bank’s Liaison Office in Port Vila, Vanuatu, coordinating assistance between the World Bank Team and the Government of Vanuatu. She facilitates the implementation of International Development Association investments in Transport and Infrastructure, Disaster Risk Management and Urban Resilience, and Economic Resilience and Policy Reform engagements. Leisande initially joined the World Bank as a consultant in 2009, and later become a Project Officer supporting both Vanuatu and Solomon Islands before advancing to her current role as Country Officer.
Prior to joining the World Bank, Leisande worked as an Independent Consultant for the Pacific Institute of Public Policy (PiPP), served as National Project Manager for a PFnet project with the Vanuatu Rural Development Training Centres Association (VRDTC), tutored part-time at the University of the South Pacific, and spent four years teaching at Malapoa and Matevulu College under the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).
Leisande holds a Master of Agriculture with a major in Agronomy from the University of Queensland, Australia, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, and a Bachelor of Agriculture from the University of the South Pacific in Samoa and Fiji, respectively.
Leisande is passionate about development work, eager to focus on improving community quality of life by addressing issues of land and infrastructure, economic resilience, and policy reforms. She values fostering professional networks with stakeholders, including international organizations, government, private sector, and civil society organizations in the development sector.
